Sorry for the strongly worded thread title, but there really is no other description. I won't cherry pick quotes from the news story because you have to read the whole thing. To sum up: Pilots are late to New Orleans airport due to traffic from Super Bowl Parade. Upon arrival, Pax accuse them of being out celebrating and claim they are drunk. Pilots say they will not fly under those allegations and turn right back around.

The silly "Comments' to the story are worth reading as well. Apparently the flying public is under the impression that pilots choose their own hotels and transportation.

In a completely unrelated comment....several major hubs operations have been completely shutdown on a preemptive basis both today AND tomorrow by a number of airlines. While selectivley cancelling flights is always common in snowstorms, I've never seen it done on this type of level for a relatively minor to moderate storm. I have no doubt that this is in direct reaction and an unintended consequence of the recently passed "Passenger Bill of Rights" and the new three hour rule.

In a completely unrelated comment....several major hubs operations have been completely shutdown on a preemptive basis both today AND tomorrow by a number of airlines. While selectivley cancelling flights is always common in snowstorms, I've never seen it done on this type of level for a relatively minor to moderate storm. I have no doubt that this is in direct reaction and an unintended consequence of the recently passed "Passenger Bill of Rights" and the new three hour rule.

Our international traffic was cut buy more than 50% due to that... very few planes flying from Europe to the NE USA today!

Photos snapped by one passenger show a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's deputy on board interviewing people after one first-class passenger, coincidentally a pilot himself, called 9-1-1 for fear the pair of on-duty pilots were intoxicated.

Jawohl? Hmmmmm.'

According to passengers, the deputies did not perform a breathalyzer test, but eventually concluded the pilots were not under any influence.

So why not take the test, it takes all of 30 seconds? Case closed and and life goes on.

"In terms of the accussations of them being drunk, it isn't true," said a stern McCarthy. The airline spokesperson adamantly denies the allegations and points to the findings of law enforcement authorties who were called to the scene.

Primadonnas! Their pheelings were sooo hurt. I bet a pair of balls would not go amiss.

And then again:

McCarthy is giving a different reason for the cancelled flight.

"By the time the pilots arrived at the airport, the flight crew that was standing by on the plane was 'past their duty time', which means that they cannot fly because they have been on the clock too long,” said McCarthy. “Thus, the flight was cancelled."

The passengers may very well be douche bags, the pax'ing pilot too, but the pilots and the police don't particularly smell of roses either.
Per

Photos snapped by one passenger show a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's deputy on board interviewing people after one first-class passenger, coincidentally a pilot himself, called 9-1-1 for fear the pair of on-duty pilots were intoxicated.

Jawohl? Hmmmmm.'

According to passengers, the deputies did not perform a breathalyzer test, but eventually concluded the pilots were not under any influence.

So why not take the test, it takes all of 30 seconds? Case closed and and life goes on.

"In terms of the accussations of them being drunk, it isn't true," said a stern McCarthy. The airline spokesperson adamantly denies the allegations and points to the findings of law enforcement authorties who were called to the scene.

Primadonnas! Their pheelings were sooo hurt. I bet a pair of balls would not go amiss.

And then again:

McCarthy is giving a different reason for the cancelled flight.

"By the time the pilots arrived at the airport, the flight crew that was standing by on the plane was 'past their duty time', which means that they cannot fly because they have been on the clock too long,” said McCarthy. “Thus, the flight was cancelled."

The passengers may very well be douche bags, the pax'ing pilot too, but the pilots and the police don't particularly smell of roses either.
Per

I can help here...

1. The 'first-class pilot himself' was a douche-bag Cirrus 'pilot'. No clue whatsoever. Probably hasn't PIC in years, and never will again. Inconsequential.

2. It says the police did not administer the test, not that a test was refused. Also, a breathalyzer is only capable of assessing alcohol intoxication (BAC). There are many ways to be intoxicated...that is why police are trained to identify intoxication using their experience.

3. Police are capable of making findings without technology. They presumably interviewed the pilots, gate personnel and pax and determined that some idiot(s) simply claimed that the pilots were out partying and drunk because they were late to the airport. Moron(s).

4. The pilots are the ones who decide if they fly. If they have a bunch of unruly pax, then they should make the decision not to fly. Has nothing to do with balls. If I were around that crowd of idiots, I would not want to fly with them either.

1. The 'first-class pilot himself' was a douche-bag Cirrus 'pilot'. No clue whatsoever. Probably hasn't PIC in years, and never will again. Inconsequential.Wasn't clear, if correct, from the article.

2. It says the police did not administer the test, not that a test was refused. Also, a breathalyzer is only capable of assessing alcohol intoxication (BAC). There are many ways to be intoxicated...that is why police are trained to identify intoxication using their experience.I know what a breathalyzer can do, police trained to identify intoxication using their experience. So much bull! Please also see below comment.

3. Police are capable of making findings without technology. They presumably interviewed the pilots, gate personnel and pax and determined that some idiot(s) simply claimed that the pilots were out partying and drunk because they were late to the airport. Moron(s).They could have saved time using breathalyzer, the pilots could have volunteered. Problem solved.

4. The pilots are the ones who decide if they fly. If they have a bunch of unruly pax, then they should make the decision not to fly. Has nothing to do with balls. If I were around that crowd of idiots, I would not want to fly with them either.Unruly? You should try unruly once, same, but different. It smells of childish, pitiful revenge. See what I can do and you can't stop me. Na na na na nanana.

Never: (1) piss off your waitress, or (2) piss off your pilots.Agree on waitress, important people that I can interact with. Pilots are hiding behind locked doors, who cares.

I am glad they walked away. That's awesome!

Not awesome, they fucked up a lot of non-douche-bags schedules when the problem could have been solved in a much smoother manner.

Ed

Who was responsible for the pilots being late? Not the douche bags.
Per

Who was responsible for the pilots being late? Not the douche bags.
Per

Neither were the pilots, seems the whole situation got very tense for everybody because of the delay, very human reaction. Also not a good thing to operate heavy machinery when you are tense and irritated, it may distract you from your primary tasks.
It seems that all sides forgot that human beings were involved and that everybody were only concerned of their own 'needs'. Very human reaction, but it doesn't solve any problem crying 'me me me me ME ME and then ME again!!', no matter who does it.

Who was responsible for the pilots being late? Not the douche bags.
Per

Neither were the pilots, seems the whole situation got very tense for everybody because of the delay, very human reaction. Also not a good thing to operate heavy machinery when you are tense and irritated, it may distract you from your primary tasks.
It seems that all sides forgot that human beings were involved and that everybody were only concerned of their own 'needs'. Very human reaction, but it doesn't solve any problem crying 'me me me me ME ME and then ME again!!', no matter who does it.

I do not know who arranges the pilot's transport and neither do I much care. I do know that others are expected to arrive on-job on-time and when you expect delays due to forecasted weather and other forecasted events you plan accordingly. Super Bowl celebrations in New Orleans could hardly come as a surprise?
I agree that crying me, me, me doesn't solve any problems. The pilots didn't solve any either, they walked away from them.
Per

Who was responsible for the pilots being late? Not the douche bags.
Per

Neither were the pilots, seems the whole situation got very tense for everybody because of the delay, very human reaction. Also not a good thing to operate heavy machinery when you are tense and irritated, it may distract you from your primary tasks.
It seems that all sides forgot that human beings were involved and that everybody were only concerned of their own 'needs'. Very human reaction, but it doesn't solve any problem crying 'me me me me ME ME and then ME again!!', no matter who does it.

I do not know who arranges the pilot's transport and neither do I much care. I do know that others are expected to arrive on-job on-time and when you expect delays due to forecasted weather and other forecasted events you plan accordingly. Super Bowl celebrations in New Orleans could hardly come as a surprise?
I agree that crying me, me, me doesn't solve any problems. The pilots didn't solve any either, they walked away from them.
Per

From what I read, the shuttle that was supposed to pick them up did not arrive when it was supposed to. If pax want to complain, they should go to the CEO of the airline and complain...they are the ones that determine where the pilots stay and how they get transported to/from the airport....or, they should complain to the shuttle bus company who did not arrive on time. I know for my travel, I cannot book first class, most expensive hotels, or most expensive transportation. This, to a large extent, is dictated through company policy.

As far as the breathalyzer...if the police did not request it, why would the pilots? As someone pointed out in the comments, they legally have to take a breathalyzer (or provide a blood sample) if requested. If you refuse, you are de facto guilty (of refusing to submit to a breathalyzer). So, every time some passenger says the pilots are drunk, the pilots are expected to stop what they are doing and take a breathalyzer? That is bullshit. Obviously, these guys weren't drunk, so this jackoff who said they were should be booted in the ass. If the other passengers want someone to blame, they should blame this retard.

I 100% agree with the decision of the pilots to walk away from the situation. When they left the plane, the other pax should have gotten this first class passenger and beat the shit outta him. How do you like them apples?

There's a factor of systematically crappy service, and the bean counters on the board are not accessible to the passengers- so- Agents, FA's and the airplane drivers are charged with the job of trying to make you feel happy when yesterday's flight was cancelled, the gate agent dolled out a bunch of lies last week with 20 min delays followed by more 20 min delays and then they you show up late because you were watching the parade.

It's the fault of the diverse, non-aviation, think tank QMS-money-squeezing team that figures out how to improve service (NOT) and save money at the same time, while smiling to the customer and use the word "Awesome!"

FWIW, I was in N.O. two weeks before for the NFC Championship Game. When the Saints won, the Quarter was absolute gridlock for hours and hours. No car, bus, ambulance or shuttle was going to go anywhere. Perhaps the airlines should have seen this coming and put their pilots up closer to the airport (which is a considerable way from downtown)?

FWIW, I would have done the exact same thing this crew did. I'd call my Chief pilot and tell him "Sir, the pax think we're drunk, so we're going back to the hotel".

I'm losing the logic on all of this.

The passengers think the crew is drunk so the pilots refuse to fly?

Actually, it seems like it should be an agreeable situation. "Ok folks, you're right, you should have a pilot that you think is not drunk."

Why is everyone so unhappy?

The trouble is with accountability. The pax say "We think the pilot is drunk"....well, if they are wrong (as in this case), there are no repercussions on the pax. They just continue going their own miserable ways. If you want to ACCUSE someone of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, then there should be a REPERCUSSION when you are wrong or just making shit up because you want to get to the shitty place you want to get to.

We have the same shit happen in education: a student who does not like their grade accuses the instructor of hating ______ <- insert demography of you choice, or you may get accused of sexual abuse, or you may get accused of something else irrelevant....and you have NO recourse. You are presumed guilty. In the pilot case, if these pilots continued to fly, they still would have had this first class asswipe that put the seed of doubt into the other pax...hit some turbulence = drunk; holding pattern = drunk; delay = drunk. It a priori sets up a bad situation, and the pilots did the correct thing.

Again, it sets a bad precedent that every time some retard makes a false, derogatory or defamatory comment against a member of the aircrew, that member of the aircrew has to get a breathalyzer test, an HIV screening or a body search looking for tattoos of Roy Orbinson, etc etc etc. That is anarchy.

As I stated, the other pax should have taken this first class moron off the plane and shoved a Jeppensen sideways up his arse. Now THAT would be ACCOUNTABILITY.

We have the same shit happen in education: a student who does not like their grade accuses the instructor of hating ______ <- insert demography of you choice, or you may get accused of sexual abuse, or you may get accused of something else irrelevant....and you have NO recourse. You are presumed guilty.

That's not strictly true Ed.

A biology professor who was denied a promotion has been charged with murder after three people died in a shooting at the University of Alabama.

Harvard-trained Dr Amy Bishop, 42, is accused of opening fire during an afternoon faculty meeting on the Huntsville campus, killing three fellow biology professors and injuring three other university employees.

We have the same shit happen in education: a student who does not like their grade accuses the instructor of hating ______ <- insert demography of you choice, or you may get accused of sexual abuse, or you may get accused of something else irrelevant....and you have NO recourse. You are presumed guilty.

That's not strictly true Ed.

A biology professor who was denied a promotion has been charged with murder after three people died in a shooting at the University of Alabama.

Harvard-trained Dr Amy Bishop, 42, is accused of opening fire during an afternoon faculty meeting on the Huntsville campus, killing three fellow biology professors and injuring three other university employees.

Even for me, however, her reaction was somewhat harsh. She could have just claimed discrimination based upon sex (although no doubt her committee was predominantly chicks - after all, it is biology), or accused one of the faculty of sexual assault (although the men were probably less than straight - after all, it is biology), or she could have just went on rotating long term disability and stress leave (which is, of course, the best way to go if you're trying to fake it - after all, it is biology).

....The passengers think the crew is drunk so the pilots refuse to fly?...

The trouble is with accountability. The pax say "We think the pilot is drunk"....well, if they are wrong (as in this case), there are no repercussions on the pax......

Ok, Ed, you went serious on me.

Actually there is one pretty good repercussion on the pax- and some poetic justice.

They didn't get where they were going.

When you look at it that way- the pilots did the perfect thing!

Another cool option would have also been to encourage any doubters to stay off the plane, loaded up the people willing to fly, given the pilots the breathalyzer, took off and then told the offloaded ones that for a $50.00 reservation change fee.....

Here is another example of a unruly passenger striking the passenger ahead after kicking his seat and then kissing and punching a flight attendant. AA was flying MIA to ORD but diverted to IND so that the woman could seek help and comfort.
Don't bother downloading the video. After watching an advertisement you'll see a thrilling few seconds of the passenger being escorted off the flight by police in IND. To ensure you savor every nuance (including a passenger saying, "that's it?" ABC news displays the clip three times.